Oscar organizers honor film science, technology

LOS ANGELES: Hosting Oscar organizers’ Scientific and Technical Awards on Saturday night, actress Milla Jovovich, a veteran of effects-driven movies like the “Resident Evil” franchise, confessed she knew little about what actually goes on behind the cameras.  

“I’m not an expert in technology. However I will say that as an actor, I certainly benefited from the many innovations you bring to filmmaking,” she told a packed ballroom of technical wizards being honored by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills.  

The annual awards event is typically overshadowed by the Academy Awards, or Oscars, which will be given out on February 26 for the best film, performances, directing, writing and other film work of the year.  

Saturday’s scientific and technical awards were reserved for honorees including Douglas Trumbull, recipient of the Gordon E. Sawyer Award for work that has “brought credit to the industry.”  

Trumbull has been at the forefront of visual effects for decades, working on classics like “2001:  A Space Odyssey,” “Blade Runner” and more recently, “The Tree of Life,” a contender in this year’s best film race.  

He spoke to the audience about rapidly changing technology in cinema and challenges facing the industry as attendance dips.  

“I think we can make movies that make people say, ‘I’m going to go out to a movie tonight because it’s so cool, it’s so big, it’s so grand and it’s so spectacular and there’s so much showmanship,” said Trumbull. “I think we can bring movies to new heights.”  

Other scientific and technical winners included the late John D. Lowry, inventor of the Lowry technique that is used to enhance image quality. Lowry died in his sleep only three weeks ago on January 21. Upon accepting the honor in his absence, his widow kissed the plaque then held it to the heavens.  

Honorees also included achievements in lens development, high-speed digital camera systems, camera stabilization rigs and high-resolution stock used in archival preservation.  

Visual effects guru Jonathan Erland was awarded the John A. Bonner Medal for a lifetime of dedication to the academy. With a career spanning over 50 years, Erland joined legendary effects house Industrial Light & Magic in the 1970s and worked on such classics as “Star Wars.”  

The academy’s science and technical awards chairman, Erland holds a patent for the Blue-Max flux projector, a traveling matte process, and was instrumental in establishing visual effects as a separate branch of the Academy.  

“The real task before us is to manage the present so that motion pictures stay relevant to the academy’s mission and the ideals we espouse,” declared Erland. “When all motion pictures are excellent, then, perhaps, we can talk about a new vision for this body. AGENCIES

Saif Gaddafi to be moved to Tripoli, then tried

TRIPOLI: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son and one-time heir apparent of toppled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, will be moved to a Tripoli prison within two months and then face trial, the chairman of Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) said on Sunday.

Three months after his capture in Libya’s Sahara desert dressed as a Bedouin tribesman, Saif al-Islam remains at a secret location in the northwestern town of Zintan, reflecting a wider problem of powerful local militias and a weak central government in the North African country.

In an interview with Reuters, Mustafa Abdul Jalil said authorities were completing the construction of a prison in central Tripoli, begun under the late Muammar Gaddafi, to which Saif al-Islam would be moved.

“At this moment he is being interrogated and his trial will begin as soon as the prison facility is ready,” Abdul Jalil said. “I can’t give an exact timeframe in terms of weeks or months for this but it will not be more than two months.”

Zintan commanders say they have kept Saif al-Islam in their remote mountain town, rather than hand him over to the NTC in Tripoli, to spare him the fate of his father.

The older Gaddafi was killed by his captors shortly after being seized in October, his decomposing body put on public display in a Misrata meat locker before given an inglorious secret burial in the Libyan desert.

Saif al-Islam, a fluent English speaker educated at the London School of Economics, was seen as a the Western-friendly acceptable face of Libya before transforming from liberal reformer to a key figure in his father’s fight against rebels seeking his overthrow.

He now faces trial in Tripoli on charges of murder and rape and could face the death penalty if convicted. The International Criminal Court in The Hague has also indicted him for crimes against humanity but Libya says he will be tried in his home country.

“By God’s will, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi will receive a fair trial and also all those who are accused in this regard,” Abdul Jalil said.

OFFSPRING’S SHADOW

A transitional government appointed in November is leading the country to elections in June but is struggling to restore services and impose order on a myriad of armed groups that toppled Gaddafi after 42 years in power.

And his offspring continue to cast a shadow over the oil-rich North African state.

Abdul Jalil said Niger had confiscated all communication devices belonging to Saif al-Islam’s brother Saadi, after he warned of a “coming uprising” in Libya by those opposed to the authorities now in power in Tripoli.

Saadi, who fled south to Niger in September, told Al-Arabiya television by telephone on Friday that he was in regular contact with people in Libya unhappy with the authorities put in place after the ousting and killing of his father.

That prompted Libya to urge Niger on Saturday to extradite Saadi, saying his comments threatened bilateral ties. But Niger said it could not hand over Saadi because he would face execution in Libya.

“First of all, the foreign minister of Niger and the prime minister of Niger were the ones to initiate contact with their counterparts and expressed their apology for what happened,” Abdul Jalil said. “I can confirm that the government of Niger has taken all measures and steps to confiscate all communication devices in his possession.”

Libya’s interim leaders last year approved a request to open an investigation into Saadi over the murder of a footballer who played for the national team in the 1980s.

“The prosecutor general has already sent an extradition request to bring Saadi back to Libya in light of the crime he committed in the field of sports in Libya. The legal and penal procedures in this regard will be followed,” he added. AGENCIES

SC adopts PM’s plea for hearing on Thursday

TrendPK.com

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court on Wednesday formally adopted for hearing Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s appeal against contempt notice on Thursday, TrendPK reports.

Earlier in the day, PM Gilani appealed against the apex court’s show-cause notice summons to face contempt indictment for his failure to pursue money-laundering cases against President Asif Ali Zardari by writing to Switzerland authorities on court directives.

If convicted of contempt, the prime minister could be jailed for up to six months and disqualified from public office.

Gilani’s lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan said he based the appeal on precedents set by top courts in Australia, Britain, France, India and the United States. TrendPK

Internet video of crying Chinese boy sparks fury

BEIJING: A home-filmed video showing a four-year-old Chinese boy being forced by his parents to run almost naked through the snow in bitterly cold New York has gone viral and sparked an online uproar.

The father was reportedly trying to train his son to be strong and healthy, and the footage has sparked debate about “Chinese”-style tough parenting — as famously illustrated by Chinese American “Tiger Mother” author Amy Chua.

In the video, the little boy runs towards his father, who is filming him, in thick snow with only his shoes and underpants on, at times crying bitterly and pleading with his dad to take him in his arms.

On several occasions, both parents tell their son to lie down in the snow, which he does eventually when his mother presses him.

The film — posted online by his father, who comes from the eastern city of Nanjing — has been viewed by tens of thousands of people on various video sharing websites and has caused outrage.

“I don’t agree with this… We should give children a happy childhood, those terrible parents say they do this for their child’s own good, but I think their purpose is just to be able to brag in the future,” one netizen said.

“I really don’t support this, poor kid, does the kid’s mother let the father do whatever he wants to do?” another person said on Sina’s popular weibo microblogging service.

The father has been given the nickname of “Eagle Dad” in reference to Chua, who sparked controversy when she wrote a book extolling the benefits of tough parenting.

His personal assistant, surnamed Xin, told AFP He was on holiday with his family in New York during the Lunar New Year holiday last month, and decided to see in the Year of the Dragon with this unusual method.
  
“The child agreed and before the run, he did half an hour of slow running to warm up,” she said by phone.
  
“This child has received all sorts of forms of training since he was small. When he was one, he started swimming in water that was 21 degrees Celsius.”
  
Xin said that the boy was born prematurely with several health problems including water in the brain that prompted doctors to say he may have cerebral palsy.
  
“But now he has no problems,” she said, attributing this to He’s intense education method.
  
One person on Sina’s weibo said teaching one’s child about the cold and fortitude was a good thing.
  
“But if this method becomes a feature of everyday life, then the child’s life learning process is just cruel.”
   Xin said He had disregarded the flood of online criticism.
  
“He says he doesn’t care what others say… that the fact that the child lived showed that he has tenacious vitality,” she said.
  
Tough “Chinese” parenting methods have come under the spotlight recently, as children are increasingly forced to study hard at the expense of leisure activities to succeed in a job market that has become hugely competitive. AGENCIES

PAF pilot killed in crash

 

A pilot was killed when his Pakistan Air Force plane crashed Wednesday during a training mission in southwestern Baluchistan province, an air force spokesman said.

 

“It was a Chinese-made F-7PG training aircraft,” Air Commodore Anis Mirza told AFP.

 

The plane crashed in Pishin district, 65 kilometres (40 miles) north of the provincial capital Quetta, during a “routine” training mission, he said, adding that the pilot “embraced martyrdom”.

 

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, he said. An investigation is under way.

 

It was the fourth air force jet to crash in training in over three months. Two pilots were killed in the other incidents and a helicopter crash last June killed four military personnel.

 

The Pakistan Air Force has a fleet of Chinese aircraft including F-7PGs and A-5s, plus US-built F-16s and French Mirages. It recently acquired medium-tech JF-17, or Thunder jets, manufactured jointly by China and Pakistan.
 

US lawmakers back stronger ties with Philippines

 

They said Congress soon will approve the transfer of a second ship to help the ally s navy defend its waters.

 

Republican Rep. Ed Royce told a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs hearing on US-Philippine relations that the congressional review process for transferring the Coast Guard Cutter Dallas will be finished this week, and the ship should soon be on its way to Manila. Another aging US cutter, the Hamilton, was transferred to the Philippines last May.

 

The US has sought to boost the Philippines  ability to maintain its maritime security because of its ally s concern over assertive Chinese behavior in disputed waters of the South China Sea.

 

While the United States has no territorial claims in the region, the top US diplomat for East Asia, Kurt Campbell, reiterated that the US has a national interest in such claims  peaceful resolution and the freedom of navigation in seas that carry about a half the total tonnage of world trade.
 

Salman says no to Bodyguard sequel

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MUMBAI: Indian Bollywood ace Salman Khan has said he has resolved no to produce sequel of Bodyguard, TrendPK reports Saturday.

In an interview, Heroic Salman, widely known in India and Pakistan as ‘Charming Sallo’ said, last year (2011) has been a ‘big hit’ and ‘Lucky 11’ for sequel films but despite all the winds blowing in favour of sequels, he dismissed possibility of Bodyguard 2.

“I am not going to film sequel of Bodyguard,” Salman clarified, justifying, the movie concluded at a point which was beautiful and comprehensive. “Nothing more could be added to carry on this story whence, therefore, Bodyguard 2 will not be filmed,” Salman asserted. TrendPK 

Arab states to continue efforts to resolve Syrian crisis

 

Arab states will not stop their efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis even though their bid to secure U.N. backing was blocked by Russia and China, the Arab League s secretary-general said in a statement obtained by Reuters on Sunday.

 

Nabil Elaraby also said the Russian and Chinese veto “does not negate that there is clear international support for the resolutions of the Arab League”, which had sought U.N. Security Council backing for a decision that called for President Bashar al-Assad to step aside so talks with the opposition could start.

 

The League statement was expected to be issued more widely later on Sunday.

German Chancellor Merkel wraps up China visit

BEIJING: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday wrapped up a visit to China where she tried to reassure her hosts on the strength of the euro and Europe’s ability to overcome its debt crisis.

During her three-day trip to the world’s second largest economy, Merkel praised the advantages of the single currency and urged China to put pressure on Iran and to condemn Syria at the United Nations.

Merkel, who was prevented from meeting journalists and a human rights lawyers, ended her official visit in the southern city of Guangzhou, Xinhua news agency reported.

Merkel, who held talks with Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao during her visit, had said that she would raise human rights issues during the trip.

She attended a business forum with Wen, who Friday said China had neither the intention nor ability “to buy Europe”.

Experts believe China holds more than $550 billion of European sovereign debt, although the figure has not been officially confirmed.

Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will preside Monday over the 14th Franco-German council of ministers, which will be largely devoted to the eurozone financial crisis. AGENCIES

Chinese hostages freed in Egypt

 

China has developed strong economic ties in volatile nations in Africa and elsewhere, in large part to meet its growing needs for energy and other raw materials. At the same time it is facing growing pressure at home to protect citizens who fall into harm s way abroad.

 

In Egypt, 25 cement factory workers were grabbed Tuesday on their way to work in the northern Sinai city of Arish but were freed in good condition, China s official Xinhua News Agency reported. Their captors, Xinhua said, were Egyptians who had blocked the road outside Arish for days to demand the release of relatives detained for attacks in the Sinai years ago and to demand an end to natural gas sales to Israel.

 

Meanwhile, while another group of workers remained captive for a fifth day in Sudan, in separate incidents that show the dangers China faces as its worldwide presence grows.

 

In contrast to the quick resolution of the Egypt hostage-taking, the ordeal of 29 Chinese workers from dam and engineering firm Sinohydro Group has dragged on since their kidnapping by rebels in the Sudan s South Kordofan region on Saturday.

 

Their plight has drawn heavy media attention in China, and Beijing has sent a crisis team to Sudan, where Chinese companies have investments in oil and construction projects.

 

China hopes Sudan will “keep in mind the overall situation of bilateral friendship” and ensure their swift release, Xie told Sudanese Charge d Affaires Omer Eisa Ahmed, according to the statement.

 

The kidnappings and Beijing s energetic response highlight what tempting targets Chinese have become as they grow richer and travel the world for work and for pleasure. Ensuring the safety of Chinese lives and assets has become a litmus test for the authoritarian government, which wants to prove to the public that China is powerful and respected around the world.

 

The public has increasingly expected an effective and at times muscular defense of Chinese rights, and social media have given vent to these expectations. In recent months, scuffles between Chinese fishermen and South Korean coastal patrols and the killing of Chinese boat crews along the Mekong River in Southeast Asia have brought calls for retaliation.

 

An estimated 60 million Chinese went abroad in 2010 and a projected 75 million likely did so in 2011, putting a strain on China s diplomatic corps to track them and provide protection, the state-run Guangzhou Daily reported this week on its website. The report quoted a scholar with a Foreign Ministry think tank who listed five potential trouble spots where China has significant investments: Sudan, Iran, Central Asia, Pakistan and Myanmar.

 

Many commentators say Chinese workers are vulnerable because Chinese companies searching for energy and other natural resources are often forced to operate in volatile parts of the world because safer areas are monopolized by Western firms.

 

When Libya began splintering in the civil war that eventually overthrew Moammar Gadhafi last year, some 30,000 Chinese were working in the country. The Chinese military orchestrated a large-scale evacuation, sending ships and planes.

 

Xinhua said the 29 people kidnapped in Sudan were among 47 Chinese workers were caught in an attack in South Kordofan. The other 18 workers fled, and one of them remains missing, the agency said. The attack took place near Abbasiya town, 390 miles (630 kilometers) south of Khartoum.

 

Sudanese officials have blamed the attack on the Sudan People s Liberation Movement-North, a branch of a guerrilla movement that has fought various regimes in Khartoum for decades. Its members come from a minority ethnic group now in control of much of South Sudan, which became the world s newest country six months ago in a breakaway from Sudan.

 

Sudan has accused South Sudan of arming pro-South Sudan groups in South Kordofan. The government of South Sudan says the accusations are a smoke screen intended to justify a future invasion of the South.

 

Beijing has tried to maneuver through the dispute, building ties with South Sudan, where many of the oil fields are located, while maintaining its long-standing relations with Sudan, through which pipelines run for export.

 

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